Notes on food and wine pairing

The food and wine pairing class we took over the weekend was taught by the charming owner of Vine Wine in Williamsburg. Here are a few bits and pieces from notes taken during the class:

• Everyone has a dominant nostril that's better at sniffing wine. To find yours, tilt your head to the left and breath deeply into your wine glass. Then do the same with your head tilted to the right. Kind of an odd thing to know about yourself, right?!  I'm a left nostril lady.
  
  
• It's easy to fall back on the same old descriptors when tasting wine (citrus, floral, earthy, etc.). Here are a few of the fun new-to-me wine descriptions we learned: fig, red cherry, rose, juniper, black pepper, asparagus, mushroom, hay, mint, wet leaves, walnut, cedar, wet wool, buttered toast, tar and marmalade.
  
  
• When in doubt about what to pair with a wine, think about the region it's from. An easy example: Italian Chianti pairs well with rich tomato sauces.
  
  
• Avoid sweet wine with sweet things. Dessert wines are best paired with a cheese course, not a cup cake.
  
  
• And finally, if you are looking for a new get-the-party-started wine, I'd like you to meet Blanc Pescador. This was the first wine we tasted that afternoon, and I loved how crisp and effervescent it was. It's the perfect $10 bottle to celebrate the start of summer!